Students Learn of Jobs in Air on C-130 Flight

While most of her classmates at Maclay Middle School were bent over their math and science, ninth-grader Alma Moreno was soaring thousands of feet above the Channel Islands and the Pacific Ocean.

Alma, 15, was one of 40 students from Maclay who hopped a ride on a C-130 military aircraft one morning this week at Channel Islands National Guard Base in Oxnard.

“The whole time I had a big Kool-Aid smile,” Alma said, referring to the grinning soft-drink icon.

Most of the group were members of the school’s student cadet corps, a junior high version of ROTC headed by service and Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Harry Talbot.

“I want the kids to know that there are successful jobs that they can qualify for if they can stay away from gangs and drugs,” said Talbot, a tall, serious man who attributes the program’s success to support from the community.

The students were also there to learn about the military and how the crew of a C-130 functions.

Seventh-grader Michael Miles tried on an airplane helmet and learned about airplane safety. He also “learned that you gotta have earplugs” because of the noise.

The hourlong flight was Johnny Madrid’s first ride on an airplane. It was “more than I expected,” the eighth-grader said.

“When we were landing they let me sit in the cockpit,” Johnny said. “This is an experience that’s worth missing school for.”

It was also David Sotelo’s first flight. With thoughts of the movie “La Bamba”--which depicts the ill-fated flight that killed local rocker Ritchie Valens, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson--David was so nervous that he almost didn’t come.

“My grandma said just give it a chance,” David said. And he was glad he did, particularly when he “looked out and saw the clouds moving” below. And as the plane swooped over the waves, David spotted several whales far below.

“I never saw a whale,” he said. “I only saw them on TV.”

The experience wasn’t all clouds and Kool-Aid smiles for everyone, though.

Chris Halpern, 14, was among the few students for whom the flight included a bout with motion sickness.

“I was sitting there by the window when the plane started to go like this,” he said, rocking back and forth with arms outstretched.

He did enjoy parts of the trip--such as when the rear of the plane opened to a spectacular view of the Channel Islands and another C-130 flying behind.

But when asked if the flight inspired him to become a pilot, Chris responded frankly: “Not at the time.”